Tamarind Tribeca “might not please those with rigid notions of Indian cooking, or who think they know it from spending a week’s vacation in a nation of 1.4 billion people,” Steve Cuozzo writes. “But for the rest of us, it’s the year’s first bona-fide, exotic thrill on a grand scale.” [NYP]

The hamburger at Savoy “deserves a place in New York’s burger pantheon,” declares Ed Levine, who deems it “one of New York’s top three or five burgers.” [Serious Eats NY]

The food at Ted’s Montana Grill “was so unappealing I dismissed the place as yet another inconsequential chain restaurant,” says Alan Richman. On a second visit, “the meal was considerably better, which didn’t make it good.” [Forked & Corked/GQ]

Cienfuegos is “ever so-slightly theme-parkesque,” says Ryan Sutton. It’s “sometimes a New York riff on Cuba or Cartagena, sometimes New York imitating a Vegas hotel imitating Cuba or Cartagena, except with better beverages at tri-state prices.” [Bloomberg]
Earlier: Inside Cienfuegos

Robert Sietsema finds “a certain elegance” at Sheepshead Bay Turkish restaurant Halikarnas, while neighboring Marmaris is “nothing short of spectacular,” where the “onion-laced adana kebabs are great, smoky from the grill and long enough to be used as fencing swords.” [VV]